Marian Wright Edelman

Marian Wright Edelman (U.S.) "is Founder and President of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF). The first black woman to be admitted to the Mississippi Bar, her involvement in the civil rights movement began with her directing the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund office in Jackson, Mississippi in the mid-1960s. In 1968, she served as counsel for the Poor People's March that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. began organizing before his death. Later she founded the Washington Research Project, a public interest law firm and parent body of the Children's Defense Fund, which was established in 1973. Ms. Edelman presently serves as Goodwill Ambassador for the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, and has in the past served on Graça Machel's Commission on Children and War and co-convened the State of the World Forum for four years. She is the author of several books including The Measure of our Success: A Letter to My Children and Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors."

Affiliations

 * Director, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
 * Director, RESULTS
 * Director, Women’s Learning Partnership
 * Director, Robin Hood Foundation
 * Board of Counselors, Institute for Democratic Renewal
 * Director Emerit, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
 * Advisory Council, The Initiative for Inclusive Security
 * Policy Review Board, Public Agenda Foundation
 * National Advisory Board, Educators for Social Responsibility

Related Sourcewatch

 * Promoting Enduring Peace
 * Jefferson Awards